"Narrative is radical, creating us at the very moment it is being created."

Marshall Stowell has spent his career at the intersection of research, communications, and power — in senior leadership roles at two of the world's leading foundations, and as the architect of some of the most rigorous research on narrative and depiction conducted in the social sector.

As VP of Partnerships, Advocacy, and Communications at the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, he conceived and served as lead advisor on empirical research with FrameWorks Institute — published in 2025 — on how to communicate the value of lived experience in solving homelessness. The findings established clear evidence that how people with lived experience are depicted directly shapes public willingness to engage them as experts.

He also developed and led the Perceptions Hub — a Gates Foundation-supported multi-wave research project spanning 15 countries and 14,000 respondents — which generated the first large-scale empirical evidence that "active contributor" framings of aid recipients produce measurably stronger outcomes than "passive recipient" framings. The research also confirmed that Global South voices, when centered as messengers, increase the impact of donor-market communications.

Intentional is built on that evidence base. The argument for depiction-as-power isn't a philosophy — it's a finding.

A Unique Point of View

Ethical storytelling asks organizations to collect and share stories more responsibly. Asset framing asks them to lead with community strengths instead of deficits. Both matter. We build on both.

But Intentional goes further. Our work changes not just how you talk about communities — it changes how communities participate in designing the strategies and programs that affect their lives. Depiction is the entry point. Power is the destination.